OIl tank advice

oddbunny

Hoping someone might be able to offer some advice!
We rent our home and it has a 1200 litre oil tank. All's been fine until this october when we had it filled up. The red light on our watchman plus came on to say there's now oil in the bund. We've located the bund and the dipstick and have confirmed it is oil but we've no idea how much, or how to dispose of it. We' phone the engineer from the company who delivered the oil and he doesn't know either which is worrying. I am concerned it has been over filled which is why there's liquid there, but can't get the company to take any responsibility for it due to their indemnifying t's and c's. So my question is - is it a problem and if it is, how do we get rid of it?
Thanks all!

G_M

1) yes, you need to get rid of it. If the bund fills up with oil it can no longer continue to do its job - collecting future spills/leakages

2) Are you sure this happened at same time as the re-fill? If so, it seems clear it was spillage by the tanker-driver. They have a duty of care whatever their T&Cs may say. WRITE to the company (yes, a letter to the MD ormanager or whatever), explain the situation, make clear you hold them responsible, and ask
a) that they come and pump out the bund and
b) reimburse you for the extra oil you've paid for

3) make sure your landlord knows. Both for his sake (he needs to know his bund has oil in it) and for your sake (he may later blame you for the problem!)

OFTEC may have advice?

Not sure if oil suppliers have a regulatory body - they must have!

oddbunny

Thanks very much for your advice. I'll try to get the oil company to listen but I'm not holding out much hope as they'll want proof it happened on the day they filled it, which it did but its my word against theirs right now. I'll let the rental agent know too.
Thanks again.

G_M

oddbunny wrote: »

Thanks very much for your advice. I'll try to get the oil company to listen but I'm not holding out much hope as they'll want proof it happened on the day they filled it, which it did but its my word against theirs right now. I'll let the rental agent know too.
Thanks again.

Again - in writing (not text, email etc). Ideally addressed to the landlord (name on your tenancy agreement) at the address "for the serving of notices" (which may/may not be c/o the agent). Keep a copy.

As for 'your word against theirs', YOU can say positively that before they delivered, the Watchman red light was not on, but after delivery it was.

They cannot make any comment as they will not have looked at the Watchman either before, or after, delivery!

The only way I can think of that they could catch you out as a lier would be to pump out the oil, analyse it, and prove it had been there for 6 months .....